Lupa and the Lost Little Girl
by thecompletebookworm
Summary: A little girl left crying in the dark, too scared to even turn on the light. A newly widowed young woman who would do anything thing to get back home. The two are brought together by the TARDIS who can't stand to see either of them in pain. Post Journey's End. Eventual Reunion
1. Only the Beginning

There was blood everywhere. Rose used a piece of her shirt to apply pressure to stop it, but the blood just kept coming. It poured from the wound on his chest and looked nowhere close to stopping.

"Hurry up Tosh," she muttered under her breath, wishing that the genius could some how speed up the teleport. "If we ever needed a miracle-"

The subtle white light seemed to circle them, just as the hostile aliens got ever closer. The leader, Umier if their translators were to be believed, waved his gun in the air menacingly as he advanced. He had already made it clear that he would do everything in his power to prevent them from leaving his ship.

"Just a little longer Doctor. The infirmary can fix this up in no time, just a little longer," Rose whispered, her fingers caressed his hair. She didn't think there was much anyone could do, but she had to keep hoping. This was the Doctor and he lived off of impossible things. He had to make it.

Rose felt the teleport climax, and for a second, they were nowhere at all. She could feel nothing but the Doctor's unconscious body against her. There was no air around them and she could feel the tightening of her lungs that accompanied rudimentary teleport.

With a lurch forward, Rose felt her feet once again make contact with the ground. There were people everywhere. She wanted to let out a sigh of relief but knew she couldn't. So they had made it back to the Torchwood Hub, by no means did that mean the danger had passed. The blood was still gushing from the wound on the Doctor's chest.

The head medic was already taking the Doctor away from her. Rose let out an involuntary groan. She knew that this was necessary, but she was already losing him. There couldn't be a second when she wasn't at his side. Rose rushed to keep up with Owen and the stretcher with the Doctor on it.

"What happened?" The man did not pause to glance at Rose. They continued toward the infirmary at their brisk pace. "I need specifics. Did you see the gun?"

"Not really a model I was familiar with," Rose said trying to remain calm. "Not really the most important thing at the time either."

Rose saw the scene in her mind all over again. It was just below the surface, waiting to replay itself whenever she just stopped for a second. It should have been her. The bullet had been meant for her. Umier had aimed right for her.

She hadn't been paying attention. She should have been glancing over her shoulder more, being more alert, doing something more, something that would lead to something other than a gravely wounded Doctor. Tosh had been able to find them even without the teleport completely calibrated. Rose took a deep breath. There was so much she could have done differently. She had barely heard Umier's words at the time but now they seemed to echo in her head.

"She will be the first of many. That is a promise, Doctor." He had smiled, showing off his six pointed teeth.

And then the shot had sounded. Rose had whipped around at the sound but it had already been too late. The Doctor was already diving in front of her, knocking her sideways. He wasn't going to regenerate. He knew that. So why had he been so stupid?

"Anything, though? There had to be something," Owen insisted, shaking her back to reality.

Rose tried to concentrate, to find anything that might make this into just another scare. "Sector 7.52, Inaokl, I think. They were talking about a coup on Inaokl. This was no friendly trade ship."

"Couldn't have guessed."

Rose glared at the back of his head. She tried not to take it too personally. Owen was insufferable when he was fighting a losing battle. She didn't want to think how bad it already was if he was already this snide.

Rose moved around the stretcher, staying out of his way. She wrapped her fingers around the Doctor's hand, holding it firmly between both of hers. She felt a short jolt when she thought she could feel pressure from his side.

"Rose." It was a mixture between a groan and a whisper, but it was most definitely him.

"Shh, don't try to say anything. We'll have you fixed up in just a bit," Rose could feel the tears running down her face already. She didn't want to tell him just how bad it was.

"Rose Tyler, don't you lie to me. I can feel my body functions shutting down, just too much blood. All my cells are screaming to regenerate. Seems even my body couldn't get used to the idea that this is the end."

"It isn't the end. All of time and space. This isn't supposed to be how it ends."

"Oh, Rose, my fantastic Rose," The Doctor lifted one of his weak arms to cup her face with his hand. "We were going to do so much, make a difference right here, get a mortgage-"

He paused slightly, trying to see just a hint of a smile on her face from their old joke. There wasn't.

"Tea with Jackie, Telling Tony all those stories, the slow path." He didn't mention all the other things they had wanted. It was still too painful, knowing they would never raise children together or grow old and just sit reminiscing about old times.

Rose sniffled. "Never thought you'd ever care for domestics, Doctor?"

"Rose with you, I couldn't imagine anything better."

She blushed and he relished at seeing her small smile for possibly the last time.

"But why would you-" Rose began.

"Why would I take that bullet?"

"I mean, it's just, Doctor, I mean he was aiming at-"

"He was aiming at you. I lived far too long without you already. I wasn't about to survive losing you again."

"I'm not worth it though."

"Don't you even think that. Rose Tyler, defender of Earth, protector of the small, saver of planets, the one who kept coming back, my pink and yellow human."

He got a real smile at that, although a teary one.

"I love you," She tried to put all her emotions into those three little words.

"Rose Tyler, I," he gasped in obvious pain. Both their thoughts flickered back to the first time on Bad Wolf Bay. He groaned again. "I…I love you too."

She pressed a soft kiss to his lips. She tried to ignore the sound on the monitor as his single heart gave out. He was gone. Her Doctor was gone. But he couldn't be. It was impossible. This couldn't be the end.

**Author's Note: This is my first Doctor Who story (although I do I have quite a few practically abandoned HP fics that need a lot of work). I probably wouldn't have even attempted it except for the 50****th**** rapidly approaching. I apologize for Owen being slightly out of character. I just couldn't seem to get him completely right. (But then again, this is a Parallel Universe; he would probably act differently.) **


	2. Shadows in the Dark

It was so cold. Melody pulled the blankets closer to her. She sighed just a little. That was better. She tried to fall back asleep. She was so tired. She couldn't remember the last time she made it through the night without waking up.

Melody felt a tug on the blankets. Her eyes snapped open. With a start, she looked around the room. It was almost like something should be there was missing. Melody thought she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. She whirled around automatically.

Melody reached over to try and turn on the light. Her hand brushed something but it most definitely wasn't the lamp on her bedside table. It felt soft, but also slightly slimy. She didn't like it. Melody tried to think of anything that was in her small room at the orphanage that could make her feel this way. She couldn't think of anything that would have that texture-What texture? She hadn't felt anything. She was being silly, absolutely silly. There was nothing in the dark.

And even if there was, Madame would protect her. Madame would come and make all the monsters go away. Melody didn't get to see Madame very often. Madame would show up on the days she was feeling sick. Melody didn't like feeling sick. Her head would be pounding and everything looked like it had a slight golden glow to it. But Melody did like seeing Madame. It made her feel less alone.

The orphanage was basically empty. Well, there was that old man downstairs, but he didn't really say much. If Melody was honest with herself, she was slightly afraid of him. He would just start yelling about how she had to get out. Why would she want to get out? Everything was perfectly fine here, even if it was a bit lonely.

The blanket slipped out of her grasp again. She let it. She didn't think it would help anyway. Melody tried to remember a time when she was properly warm, not just physically, but the little warmth that you're supposed to feel in the pit of your stomach when everything is just perfect, that no matter what happens everything is going to turn out all right. Madame would hold her sometimes and that made her feel a little better, but Madame always seemed distant. It made Melody want to cry. She was a good girl. What had she done?

Melody felt the tears streaming down her cheeks. That just wouldn't do, Melody told herself. Stop crying. You have to be brave.

Melody wasn't sure where she got the idea of being brave. It was something that filled the books Madame would sometimes give her. It was something that fictional characters were supposed to be. It was something Madame had told her she had to be one day. Melody didn't feel very brave. How was she supposed to face down her parent's murderer? The Doctor destroyed things instead of healing them. He broke people, made them do his bidding. And his bidding killed civilizations, universes even.

Melody squeezed her eyes tight. She didn't want to think of her mission. She wanted to sleep. Melody wanted it all to go away. No more Doctor. No more nightmares. No more things that went bump in the night.

* * *

The next morning, she had more bruises. Melody wasn't sure what that meant. Bruises came from somewhere, but lately, she'd been waking up with them all over her arms and legs. Melody hoped she was only sleepwalking. It made sense. She never seemed to be in the same room of the orphanage. There were little changes everywhere. Furniture moved even though neither she nor the crazy man had touched it. There were odd splotches of reddish-brown on the floor.

The inconsistency that bothered Melody the most was that her pictures kept moving. She had them all organized on her dresser just the way she liked them, with the one picture of her Mum right in front. Her Mum was so pretty. It made her proud and sad at the same time. Her mum with that fiery red hair looked so happy. Melody liked the photo. Maybe one day, she would be a good enough child that her mother would be proud of her. Maybe if she was just good enough, and did all the right things and finished her vegetables, her Mum would be able to hold her again.

But Melody would never be good enough. She knew that. She saw it in the faces of everyone around her. Madame always gave her that pitying little smile, the one that meant Melody had done something wrong, the one that was always accompanied by Madame's hands shaking like she was about to break something. Melody saw it when the old man made his way upstairs. He would pause when he saw her. There would always be a split second when he looked at her with the upmost horror, before he started screaming. Melody had even scared all the other kids away. It was the only explanation. There were so many empty rooms in the orphanage that should be full. It was her fault no one else wanted to live here.

Melody got out of her bed. She moved her Mum's picture to the front again. Just doing that made her a little happier. Melody was even happy enough to ignore the rustling behind her, despite the fact she was the only person in the room.

**Brief Explanation: I know it might seem weird that Melody isn't seeing/remembering the Silence, but this is the little girl who called the President because a spaceman was trying to eat her, not because strange creatures were following her. She knows something is wrong but can't put her finger on. If you have any comments on little Melody, please say something. I want to get her as right as I can.**

**Cool Story Time: I was the 9****th**** doctor for Halloween. There are basically 4 reactions: The happy, excited Whovians who give great hugs, the Whovians who ask who you are because they're surprised to find another of their own kind, the people who ask and then give you weird looks and last but not least the people who have watched part of NewWho and have a vendetta against 9 (and Rose, Martha, Donna, Ten, Jack, Clara basically everyone who is not Amelia, River or Rory.) I was just happy that I only met one of the last type and that he really wasn't well versed enough to start insulting Ace or Sarah Jane. **


	3. A Mother's Comfort

Jackie just about threw down the phone. She checked the clock. Tony wasn't due home from primary school for another few hours. Jackie wasn't sure what she was going to tell her son when he got home. The Doctor had become such an integral part of their little family. Tony would always want the Doctor to tell him his bedtime story because those were always "the bestest ones." Tony wanted to eat bananas because they were the Doctor's favorite food, even if he was slightly allergic.

She didn't have to worry about that now though. It was odd how a crisis made you think of the littlest things. Jackie was needed at the Torchwood Hub right at this moment, and here she was still at Tyler Manner in a slight state of shock. The thought of her baby girl, her little Rosie, all alone in the infirmary with the body, was enough to get her moving. There was time later for dealing with the death of a man she thought of as a son. Her grief could wait.

* * *

Rose hadn't moved. She was still standing at the head of the stretcher. Rose held the Doctor's hand tightly. She wasn't even sure if she could let go. It was still warm, but... There was part of her that wanted to keep on pretending that he could pull through, that there would be some remarkable recovery. Rose stared at his face. He still has a slight smile on his face, but it isn't his smile, the one he gives her when he's discovered a new way to rewire the toaster or the one he always does when he's trying to reassure her that everything is going to be okay or when he's trying to explain something that's too much for human brains to handle. The one on his face has none of that emotion, none of that life. Rose wants to cry. She wants to scream and throw things. But she can't. She isn't going to let herself. If she reacts, then he's really gone. Her Doctor is never coming back, never coming home.

"Oh sweetheart."

Rose launched herself at her mum. She needs this. She needs to be able to hold onto her mum. Maybe it's some childish notion, but her mum could make anything better, even this.

"Shh, it's alright, I've got you." Rose doesn't even realize she's whimpering or that she's finally properly crying. "I'm right here. Just let it all out."

They sat in relative silence for a while, crowded on a stiff chair that really shouldn't be supporting two people. Rose sobbed, finally letting herself be completely vulnerable. She doesn't think it helps. All the crying just made her feel emptier. Jackie rubbed circles on her daughters back, offering whatever comfort she can give. She wants to hold her and just take all the pain away. She knows how much it hurts.

When Pete had died, Jackie had been frantic, yelling at whoever would listen. She hadn't wanted to believe it. Jackie was fairly certain the only reason she had not moped for any longer than she had was the fact her little girl needed her. It was odd with parallel Pete, but she still remembered all those empty hours when it was just her and Rose and the pain.

Jackie wanted to take away that burden. Jackie wanted Rose to be able to laugh and smile, without worrying if she was dishonoring a memory or feel guilty. Most of all she wanted her baby girl to feel that real joy again. There is no pain a mother wouldn't suffer to keep her children happy.

Jackie knew she had to get Rose out of here. The hospital was the worst part. Rose needed to take a shower, drink some tea, get some sleep and just be away from everything for a little while.

"Sweetheart," Jackie whispered as she held her tightly. "He's not coming back, not this time."

Rose barely shrugged. She knew that. Instead, Rose leaned into her mother. Jackie was her anchor at this point. It was like Bad Wolf Bay the first time, except now there wasn't even a sliver of hope.

"Five and a half hours, Mum. You always wait five and a half hours." Rose tried to give a smile at the old memory of the Doctor; it turned into more of a grimace.

Jackie tried not to sigh. She was fairly certain it had been far longer than five and a half hours. There'd been too much silence and too many tears. "Just tell me when you're ready."

Rose nodded. Sometimes, there was nothing more to say. Jackie began to play with Rose's hair like she had when Rose was young. She wasn't sure of another way of reminding her daughter that she was still there.

"Mum," Rose whispered. "I think, I just want a bit more time alone, with him."

"Of course, sweetheart." Jackie gave her daughter another hug. "I'm going to phone and make sure Tony made it home alright."

"Sure." Rose fixated once again on the Doctor. Her gaze avoided the bloodstained bandages. She felt the need to say something, anything. She just couldn't walk out of the room without some sort of farewell, even if he isn't around to here it. "I just wanted to say," she began, "No, I know this is silly. You'd probably laugh," Rose made a face as if half expecting to argue his laugh-me-I'd-never-laugh face. "Thank you. I guess, for well everything. For saving me, for letting me come with you, for everything that happened after 'run'. I wouldn't have missed it for-"

There was a pulse of music Rose thought she would never hear again, one of the most beautiful sounds in the universe. Rose jumped, looking everywhere for the TARDIS. It wasn't the noise she made when she appeared. This was the much quieter sound of the TARDIS, the sweet music and humming that made Rose feel safe. The Doctor had said she was a telepathic being. Rose didn't know any other way to explain it other than that maybe this was part of the telepathy.

There was a pause in the humming. Rose already longed for it to come back. She had never truly realized how quiet Pete's world had been without the TARDIS. Then, a woman's voice reverberated through the room. "Wolf! Wolf! My Wolf!"

Rose had no idea where the voice was coming from. "What? Do you mean me? Are you talking to me?" She asked thinking of the message she left herself.

"Two parts of space and time that never should have touched pressed together."

Rose examined the room. "I'm sorry. I don't quite understand." The voice was obviously extraterrestrial. "I'm from Torchwood. We can help you return home. "

"Home. Can bring you home." This statement was followed by more TARDIS humming.

Rose shook her hear. She didn't have time for some crazy alien that wouldn't show itself and was content on repeating her. "What do you mean?"

"Do you not recognize me?" The voice was sadder now.

"Should I? I haven't exactly been here very long."

"A Universe away from home."

Rose startled at that. There were very few people who knew of her home universe. She was the elusive daughter of Pete Tyler, raised abroad to grow up normally, who showed up abruptly without much explanation nearly seven years ago.

"How do you know about the parallel universes?"

"You're my wolf. You looked into my heart. I looked into you."

"The TARDIS. You're _the TARDIS_?" This was absolutely impossible, but there was also that little voice in the back of her head that felt like listing all the impossible things she had ever done. Talking TARDIS was definitely within the realms of possibility.

"Yep. That's me."

"Not that it isn't wonderful to hear you again, I mean I missed you, but why now?"

"Wolf sad. Thief sad. Child sad."

Rose looked back at the stretcher. "Well you've got the first part right."

"They needed you-will need you- are needing you. My, tenses are difficult."

Rose wasn't sure how to respond to that. As the TARDIS was nothing more than a voice, she aimed her incredulous look toward the ceiling. "How am I supposed to help then?"

"Need to go home."

"Home, like my own universe home. That's impossible. And what would I do when I got there? I'm dead there. Everyone I know is probably already gone." But even after saying that Rose knew she was wrong. Mickey had never returned from that world. And she had apparently made Jack immortal. There would be people for her there.

"Dimension Canons were used. I can see it. Will be used in three weeks."

"The dimension canons won't work. They tear a hole in the very fabric of reality."

"Cracks."

"So cracks are already there. That makes it safe?"

"Child crying. It hurts." The TARDIS's voice sounded as if she shared the pain of this child, whoever it was.

"I'll help. It's all going to be okay" Rose soothed. "But I still don't understand."

"My thief needs me now. Can't stay any longer. Drained too much power."

Rose sighed. It seemed as if she would figure out the details after crossing into her home universe. The adventure excited her. It was a new goal, something to cling to right now.

"But who is your thief?"

**AN: I'm sorry for the angst. I'm really trying to look at how the events psychologically affect the characters. That means looking at the death of a love one and the recovery, as well as the effects of child neglect, through a realistic lens, which involves angst. Both are sensitive subjects that I don't want to mess up. **

**On a lighter note, THE 50****TH****! If anyone has anything you want to discuss, feel free to PM me or just leave a comment in a review. I'm really interested in hearing likes and dislikes (like the fact they never showed how the Doctor and Clara got out of his timestream). **


	4. Sickness and Gold

The world was spinning. Melody hated days like this. She was already curled up in a little ball on her bed but it wasn't enough. There was a pounding in her head that she couldn't even begin to explain. Everything hurt. She threw the blanket over her head. She heard the door open. It was probably that man bringing her breakfast. She ignored it.

The light was much too bright. Melody didn't even try to stifle her groan. She only rolled over and moved her pillow so that it was also over her head, protecting her from the outside world. "Go away!" she whined.

"Now is that anyway to speak to me?" Madame asked. Melody heard the soft clacks of her heels that meant she was approaching the bed. "Melody, dear, you have to look at me."

"Don't wanna." Her voice was small, muffled by blankets, pillows and the need to talk quietly because of her aching head. Melody should have expected this. Madame always came when she was sick.

"Shhh," Madame whispered. Melody felt the bed sink a little. She knew this meant Madame was sitting next to her. "I'm right here."

That didn't necessarily comfort Melody. There was something wrong about this. She never saw Madame for very long, only ever when she was sick. It was for shot periods of time. Madame would come, poke her with some needle, and then leave. She'd come back a few times to make sure the medicine was working properly, but that was it.

Melody wanted someone to be here for her. She wanted someone to just sit, hold her, rock her and tell her everything was going to be okay. But Melody knew that was silly.

Madame tried to wiggle the pillow out of her grasp. With an exasperated sigh and a hard tug, Madame succeeded and began to glare at Melody. "Sit up. I don't have all day, Melody." Her voice was rough and this time Melody stopped hesitating.

Melody stretched out slightly on the bed. She moved so she could rest her back against the wall. Melody stared as intently as she could with the room spinning at Madame. "Why do you only come when I'm sick?"

Madame only gave her a sharp look. Melody always thought it was funny how she kept one eye covered. When Melody was younger, she had made an eye patch out of paper and tape so she could be just like Madame. She had wanted to show Madame, but before she could it had come off. Melody could still remember the sting as the eye patch was ripped off her face. It was odd. She hadn't seen anyone there.

"I don't mean to make you mad," Melody quickly said. "I just don't like being alone."

Madame gave an odd half smirk but didn't reply. Melody tilted her head away from the woman. It hurt to know Madame didn't care that she was lonely. Well, if Madame wasn't going to respond, then she didn't have to either. Melody had more interesting things to do. There were glowing swirls making patterns on the ceilings. Melody saw little flowers and shooting stars all swirling together across the white paint. They were so beautiful. She couldn't remember the first time she saw the shimmering gold light. It came at random times. Sometimes, like right now, the light was accompanied by pain. Other times, Melody simply got a thrill of seeing it before something good happened. Like last time, the man had brought her a doll.

The snap of the latch on Madame's briefcase caused Melody to one again look at Madame. Inside was the largest needle Melody had ever seen. She suppressed a gulp. Without her consent, she whimpered, "Is it going to hurt?"

Melody swore Madame smiled. she knew what came next. She didn't like it but she knew.

"A little medicine never hurt anyone," Madame whispered as she pressed the plunger down.

Melody started to scream, her throat raw and aching after only a few seconds, but she continued to scream anyway. She would never complain about anything else ever again. This was agony. Burning. That was the only way she could describe it. Whatever was in that shot, Melody hated it. She lost all control over any of her limbs. Every bit of her jerked around on its own accord. She writhed on the bed, nearly falling on the floor. Her head was forced backwards. The only thing she could see was the ceiling. Melody stared at it, trying to keep her mind on something other than the pain. Why? Why did it hurt so much? Why was this happening to her? What had happened at all? She wanted to demand an answer, but the only sound she was capable of making was the ear-splitting sustained scream.

There was more gold in the air now. It was everywhere, tinting the whole room. Madame leaned over her, the smirk more pronounced on her face. The gold framed Madame's face and twisted off into little strands that led elsewhere. "It doesn't really hurt," the voice was mocking and purposely childlike. It was also the last thing she heard as it all faded away.

* * *

Being unconscious was an odd sort of feeling. Most of the time, it felt like time just skipped. Other times, it felt like Melody was falling uncontrollably through a dense fog. She wanted to cry out, but even though the pain had dulled from a roar to an ache, Melody still couldn't control anything. There would also be rare seconds when the fog seemed to clear slightly. These were the moments when Melody thought that finally she was going to wake up. She was wrong, but she could catch little snippets of conversations.

"Pneumonia may not be enough to trigger regeneration." Melody wasn't sure what regeneration or pneumonia was, but it didn't bode well. The voices sounded so far away.

"As of now, we're not even sure she would regenerate."

There was a murmur. Melody thought the word "Doctor" might have been mentioned. If Melody could move, she would have clenched her fists.

"It's a risk we are willing to take." The words kept fading in and out. "Energy…movement … harness...still can kill the Doctor."

That was when Melody knew who the voices were talking about. She needed to hear more of what they were saying about her. The pieces of the puzzle were snapping into place. There was more to this conversation and it was vital that Melody understand it. As soon as she made that decision, Melody felt herself fading away again.

Nothing else she heard fit in neat sentences. There were just words scattered across her subconscious, words like Doctor, NASA, Pond, Ship, Acquired, Baby. Nothing made sense. Why did nothing make sense?

* * *

The first thing Melody noticed when she awoke was that she was alone. There was no Madame and no one to be having secret conversations at her bedside. The room was dark and the door was shut. Could Melody have just imagined someone being here?

The blankets around her felt suffocating. Melody pushed them off. She relished being able to move once again. Melody wiggled her fingers and toes for pure enjoyment. The shot must have done what ever it was meant to, because Melody only felt the soreness of being bedridden for so long. After a few moments though, she began to cough. It was a hacking cough that launched her body forward and backward. Melody gasped for air. When it stopped, she leapt out of bed and walked shakily across the room to the glass of water on the table. The glass was an effort to lift, but the water was so cool and refreshing as it went down her parched throat.

Melody didn't want to go back to her bed. She still felt tired, but just the idea of going back to her unconscious state made her restless. Actually, the entire room made her feel restless. Melody found the picture of her mother on her dresser. She felt safer with her hand clasped tightly around the frame. The orphanage was a creepy place in the middle of the night, even if she had lived here her whole life.

Melody pushed open door. She looked both ways, trying to make sure the man wasn't there. The coast was clear. Her walk was mildly enjoyable, although the graffiti on the walls was making her more than a little uncomfortable. At the end of the hallway, Melody saw something that made her go running back toward her room. There was a spaceman with one arm pointed directly at her.

**Author's Note: I'm very sorry for the lateness of this chapter. On the bright side, the next one's just about done and should be up soon as the governor canceled school for the entire state. To make it short, I was incredibly overworked, stressed and stretched a little too thin. Once I actually had time to write, there was writer's block and with writer's block came procrastination. (This procrastination was compounded by the Christmas special, the holidays in general, Season 3, a plethora of new Classic Who DVDs and the abundance of Rose related GIFs I found to relieve the emotional turmoil.) I'm very sorry and hopefully this makes up for it.**


	5. Never in the Right Order

"Rose, I don't think this is the best idea." Jackie rubbed her daughter's hand as they sat next to each other on the sofa. "You can't just go swanning off because you heard some voice."

"It isn't just some voice! It's the TARDIS! The Doctor's TARDIS!" Rose jerked her hand away.

"Sweetheart, it hasn't even been a day. Shhh, I know it's hard but you can't just make this up so that it's easier. "

Jackie was trying to be comforting but it wasn't working in the slightest. "I wouldn't make it up. It was the TARDIS and she was all echo-y," Rose paused to look at her mother and stepfather, "She was right there and she was telling me I had to go back."

"So you could see that box thing?'

"No"

"You're getting up and leaving and never coming back based off a voice only you could here? Pete looked at the footag,e Rose. You were the only one there. I was right outside. There was no voice. It could have been anything" Rose winced at her mother's voice. She looked at the parallel version of her father, who over the years had filled that space in her heart, for a little help. He sat there only staring right back at her.

"No! I just know! Okay?! I'm not crazy!" Rose knew her voice was getting desperate. She wanted to escape to her room and slam the door, but she needed her family to understand. They had to know she had a very good reason for hurting them, for abandoning them like this. Rose took a few deep breaths. "Mum, you know how we used to talk about how the TARDIS was grown and not just made?" There was a pause after that. Everyone knew who the "we" referred to. "Well, she's telepathic. She's got a sort of feeling to her. I know that feeling. It's like being home. The only thing that could feel like that would be the Doctor's TARDIS. And I'm a grown woman, Mum. You're not about to stop me."

Rose felt her mother's arms wrap around her. It was so comforting after everything she went through today. A part of her never wanted to leave. A much larger part knew she wouldn't ever really be happy here again.

"Should have known, you'd go running back to that daft alien."

"Mum, I have three weeks. I'm not about to disappear overnight."

* * *

The three weeks passed almost instantly. Torchwood hadn't really expected her in after the accident. Pete had given her as much time off as needed. Rose, of course, showed up almost instantly to make sure the canon was still in working order. She wasn't sure how long the cracks were going to be open once they finally came. Any other time was spent with her family. Jackie tried to put together little photo albums for her to take with her but they were too bulky to travel with. Rose had smiled and helped anyway. It was therapeutic to look back at all the pictures, of all the happier times. There were so many of the Doctor. He had been a huge part of live at the Tyler household. Rose smiled at the one of Tony and the Doctor playing catch. She stuck it with several others into the zippered inside pocket of the jacket she was going to bring.

Speaking of Tony, he had been a bit of a handful. The first week, he had cried, thrown things and basically refused to leave his room. He had shouted, "I hate you! Go ahead! Leave! See if I care!" Tony was losing his sister and his "brother" all within the space of a month and he couldn't seem to understand why Rose had to go back. After a while, Tony stopped sulking. He followed Rose everywhere, even sneaking into Torchwood several times. Tony refused to let his big sister out of his sight. As they got closer to the three-week mark, Tony made Rose promise everyday that she wasn't going to forget him.

Rose was at home when it happened. The crack, for it could only be described as such, opened in the wall of the kitchen. Rose dashed around the house, finding the last few items she would need. Even if Rose had been prepared, her jump was making her nervous. Remembering how difficult it was to find her world last time, Rose added a granola bar to her pocket just in case. She exchanged teary hugs with the other members of her family. Rose tried not to think that this would be the last time she ever saw them. Rose grabbed the dimension canon. She fiddled with the last dial.

"Wish me luck!" Giving her mother one last smile, Rose hit the button.

The dimension canon threw her to the ground. Rose stood up gingerly. It had been much more strenuous than she had remembered. Rose thought it might be the fact that it was just one tear that she had to squeeze through instead of the entire multiverse collapsing. Whatever the reason, it still hurt.

There was something odd about the house. The door looked as if someone had kicked it in. There were alien burn marks on the grass only meters away from where she had fallen. It wasn't a place Rose recognized. She knew she was in the right universe though. Rose appreciated how the air no longer seemed to be a weight on her shoulder and how everything smelt better. Rose hadn't even realized how the parallel world had always smelt slightly metallic to her. She had brushed it off as just being around so many zeppelins, but it might not have been the case at all.

Rose hadn't been able to truly accept how wonderful being back in the proper universe had felt last time. Rose had spent all her time running, searching for the Doctor, not once allowing herself to hope she had landed in the right place. It was strange how different it all was this time. Then, Rose knew what was going on. Even when she landed in all the other dimensions, she at least knew what was going on. There was a mission, and at least some semblance of a plan: just keep hopping until you get it right and stop the stars from going out. Rose really hadn't known what she was doing. It wasn't the first time she had acted without having all the facts. She hardly ever had a plan when she traveled with the doctor.

This was different. This time Rose had no idea what was going on, let alone an objective. The more she thought about it, the TARDIS's mission sounded strange. She had sounded like she was in pain. Anything that could possibly hurt the TARDIS had to be very dangerous. Rose wanted to brush it off as simply being from travel through the void. The TARDIS had basically died the last time she tried to cross. Rose doubted it though. Somehow this child and the thief, whoever they were, were involved. That didn't help though. It wasn't like Rose knew these people.

There was a noise behind her. Rose cursed herself for getting distracted. There had to be a reason she had landed here. The canon was a smart thing. It could measure timelines. Tosh had spent ages trying to get that feature to work; saying, "what was the point of ending up in the right universe only to be a couple galaxies over." The feature came in handy, although it just as often led to trouble. The device redirected the passenger toward temporal tipping points. These points in time also happened to be highly dangerous. Too many civil wars had broken out just after Rose had landed.

"Oh, it's only you." A curly haired woman was looking at Rose fondly from the doorway, quickly lowering her gun. "There's something very wrong here. It's a trap. Everything is straight out of Mum's memory."

"What?"

* * *

Melody Pond was not having a good day. The painting of the exploding TARDIS, a rendezvous with her mistrustful husband, her parents having no idea who she was, her father being some sort of plastic thing and the fact something was wrong with the TARDIS, were all taking their toll on her. Now, she was standing in her mother's old house. She hadn't been there in ages, not since she was Mels. It was clear someone else had been here. Melody didn't like it.

The scanner kept beeping. It was leading her up the stairs. It was a path Melody knew well. Amy's room would be right off the first landing. She pushed it opened gently, taking a deep breath as she did so. In linear time, Melody had only been in this room two days ago, albeit in a different form. She had stopped in before leaving on an adventure. Mels had always hated social gatherings of any kind and Aunt Lupa had a vortex manipulator and news of a disturbance on one of the first Pluto colonies. It hadn't been much of a decision. A kid shouldn't see their parent's wedding anyway. On her own time stream, Melody couldn't even count how long it had been. Time travel could really mess with your age.

She smiled at the childhood art. Melody wanted to look around for the cardboard box TARDIS that had been big enough for them to run around in as kids. They had so much fun in that, even if Rory would always end up tripping and they would lay sprawled in a heap on the ground.

The scanner increased in volume. It landed on the bedside table. For some reason, The Story of Roman Britain was lying there. It had been from their history project. Melody did think that was the best report she and her mother had ever done. Invasion of the Hot Italians had been the perfect title, if she did say so herself.

The book felt wrong. There was no reason for it to be lying around anymore. Melody thought they had checked it out from the library. Yet here it was, right after Amy had taken her first trip to Roman Britain. The face on the cover was what interested her the most though. The soldier was obviously the captain who had questioned her motives, the one who had been so startled by her laser blaster. It couldn't possibly be a coincidence. The book beneath startled her too. It was Amelia's favorite book, the one she had done a report on every single month when they had Mrs. Moen, because Moen had never said it needed to be a different book.

Melody hadn't connected the book with the Pandorica until now. This was looking worse by the second. Melody had to get back to the Doctor. She had to let him know there was more to the situation then they originally thought. It wasn't just all his enemies circling him. This was an expertly laid trap.

Melody rushed down the stairs. The TARDIS was the only place she trusted to call him from, with the house broken into and the entire situation with the Pandorica extrapolated from Amy's memories. She paused. Melody could hear someone else outside. She turned off the scanner; she didn't want any noise to give her away. Melody hopped the last few steps and peered out from the doorway at the figure, holding the gun in front of her.

Even with all her effort to remain hidden, it must have heard her. The figure faced her. River's heart leaped instantly. She would recognize that face anywhere, even if the blonde hair was longer than she remembered. Thank goodness. The gun went away instantly. She knew her Aunt's aversion to guns in general.

"Oh, it's only you." Melody offered a smile after that. It wasn't that often that her Aunt could sneak up on her. "There's something very wrong here. It's a trap. Everything is straight out of Mum's memory." Melody started walking toward the TARDIS expecting Lupa to follow her.

Melody had only walked a few steps when she noticed the familiar footfalls weren't behind her. She looked over her shoulder. Rose hadn't moved.

"What?" The blonde asked, rather loudly and certainly disoriented.

Melody turned completely around to face the women who basically raised her. She had never thought it would come to this. Everyone else may be moving in the opposite direction in her time stream, but her Aunt always knew who she was. Melody had never thought there would be a day when her Aunt looked at her with that blank look. It made her want to stop and cry, despite the trap that was being laid for her parents and the Doctor. She hadn't felt this young or powerless in years. "Do you have any idea who I am?" Melody looked at Rose hopefully. Maybe it was just the situation in general. She hadn't thought it was possible to create something based off a memory either.

"Sorry. Should I?" Rose gave Melody a suspicious look.

Melody bit her lip. "Time travel. It does make things difficult. I can never seem to meet anyone in the right order." The sentence itself was something she said often, yet Melody couldn't even add her usual sly smile to the end of that.

Rose raised an eyebrow. "So in the future, I know you?"

Melody let out a shaky laugh, "Bit more than that."

"Yeah. I guess." Rose smiled the trademark smile Melody had seen all her life. "Considering you're not attacking me, it can't be too bad either."

Melody felt like she was justified in taking a few steps closer. It didn't look as though Rose was about to run away. She brought up one hand to Rose's face. Rose gave her an odd stare but allowed Melody to touch her.

"You're so much younger than I can ever remember seeing you." Melody couldn't remember how old Rose looked when she was a child. All grown-ups looked fairly old then. "Does 1969 mean anything to you yet?"

"I don't think you're talking about the moon landing," Rose guessed, taking a step away from Melody. "So, No. Never actually been there. Always seemed to find other interesting places to see."

Melody knew now, without a doubt, that this was their first meeting in any of her regenerations. She didn't want to believe it, but she couldn't deny it any longer. "My name is Melody Pond."

Rose interrupted before she could continue any further. "You shouldn't be telling me this. You'll create a paradox and I don't really fancy seeing any more Reapers in this lifetime."

Melody sighed and stared at the woman who would one day be able to read her like a book. "Most of the time, I'd agree with you. I'd whisper 'spoilers' to any questions you would try to ask me and we'd continue on trying to save the day. But you," Melody paused trying to remember what her Aunt's given name was, "Rose Tyler, have always known exactly who I am, no matter what."

Melody tried to read Rose's expression. It was a blank mask. So, Melody reasoned, this couldn't be too long after parallel Torchwood.

"I always wondered how you knew, how you could always make sure our timelines matched. I guess this is it. It's been me all along. I'm the one who told you."

**AN: I just find it necessary to explain the whole Lupa vs. Rose name thing in case it wasn't clear. Melody, for the most part is going to call Rose by the alias Rose chose when she met the very young Melody. Rose as you are soon going to see, has been an instrumental force in Melody's life, but under her alias because legally she's dead and also wants to avoid a casual nexus in case anyone came looking for her. **

**This also means that any interactions Rose may have had with Rory and Amelia when they were younger would also be under the name Aunt Lupa (or Malory Lupa-Malo Lupo meaning Bad Wolf in Latin). Because of this, even if Amelia found out about Rose from the Doctor she wouldn't connect the two people.**


End file.
